Quote from: wartknight on November 08, 2015, 10:25:42 AM

Quote from: doolittledog on November 08, 2015, 08:54:44 AM
Dubuque fans after yesterdays victory over Coe clinched their 2nd conference championship in 5 seasons...



Dubuque fans this morning...



It's all good though...

I think the Knights feel like the dog this morning knowing they need more than a little help to get a pool C bid. Although, as banged up as the defense is, even a first round game would be a challenge. Congrats to sparty (& the Warts soccer women⚽️) on their conf championship!

Congrats to Dubuque for winning the conference for the 2nd time under Coach Zweifel. 

I will admit the Spartans winning it all brings up the stuff from several years ago now when Luther interviewed Zweifel and Durnin and hired Durnin instead.

It should be old news I guess, but the Norse are still looking for that first conference title since 1978 when I was in elementary school.

Quote from: notlongago on October 18, 2015, 06:29:36 PM

Quote from: Klompen on October 18, 2015, 12:23:43 PM
Wow, I try to enjoy a little off and in-season me time and look what happens!  We have swamis calling the outcomes!  I plan to check the water in Dubuque to see what they are pumping into those football players.  LOL  Gotta get some of that in Pella!

Here I thought after last week's big win over Luther that maybe Central was back to normal, the rest of the season would surely be a win-out situation.  Well, the thinking has changed drastically.  Okay I still think Central should be able to win out, I have rose colored glasses after all.  BUT  I am a realist as well and UD put a licking and spit shine on WB yesterday.  Congratulations to both Loras and UD on putting a glow over the Mississippi yesterday.  The only thing that made me feel better about Central losing was hearing that WB got creamed.  I'm sure the WB fans felt the same about the Loras/Central outcome.  Loras was ready to play and played with confidence on offense.  Neither defense could stop the other team most of the time.  Central was not prepared by the coaches defensively.  It looked like we were in prevent defense, playing off the receivers so as not to give up the big play.  So we let them make us look like 8th graders as they short passed us downfield most of the day.  No offense, but I would rather get more INT's and stop the team, giving up a rare big play than let the other team rewrite the record book against us. 

But kudos to Loras, UD, Simpson and Luther for getting the big wins for the underdogs.    Guess I need to stick around and prevent swami curses.

The central game had little to nothing to do with coaching. They will be great on run D and torched by any competent QB with adequate receivers. Just the nature if this lineup.

I have seen perhaps 6 quarters of Dutch Football this season, but I also thought Loras would give them many more problems than Luther just from the way they are built this year.  I did think they would beat Loras in a higher scoring game though.

The Luther loss to Dubuque had me less pessimistic than the loss to Central and the win over B.V. (although I did not see any of the B.V. game).  The Norse Defense is starting to put up the bad numbers much like they did in many of the IIAC games in 2014.  Can they win 5 games again this year?

Quote from: 5 Words or Less on October 16, 2015, 11:17:11 PM
Swami say "upsets foreseen tomorrow"

Congrats on seeing the wacky weekend coming!  I went to the Iowa-Northwestern game in Evanston and did not check IIAC scores until after the Michigan-Michigan State broadcast ended.   Let's just say we were talking lots of football on the way back to the great state of Iowa!

Congrats as well to Loras, Simpson, Luther, and especially Dubuque!

Quote from: 5 Words or Less on September 21, 2015, 11:44:37 PM

Congratulations Duhawks - Ranked 4th Nationally!

	Total Offense - thru 9/19/2015
	Team	YPG
1	Albion	662.3
2	Wesley	640.5
3	Guilford	639.3
4	Loras	601.0
5	Thomas More	599.3

10-15 years ago Loras was so tough on defense and average on offense that the combined total yardage of the Duhawks and the opponent was below 600 yards almost every week.  Like B.V. in recent seasons it will be interesting to see how often the 2015 Duhawks get into shootouts in league play.

Quote from: doolittledog on September 13, 2015, 02:52:52 PM
I'd give Mr. Coleman some +k but I don't have 200 posts yet 

I think in addition to that, some coaches are better recruiters than others.  Those 1st few years under Zweifel he was doing the bulk of the recruiting and he brought in some talented classes.  He then handed the reigns over to his assistants and while they have had some successes, they haven't brought in as deep of classes that Zweifel brought in. 

I like that Dubuque has toughened up their scheduling, but maybe 2 ranked teams, plus a 3rd team that could challenge in the NWC this year might be asking a bit much.  I'm not saying I want a school like Maranatha Baptist or Finlandia on the schedule, but maybe something of a confidence booster might be in order for Dubuque in their non-con portion of the schedule soon.  I'd like to keep UW-Platteville on the schedule and then find a mid-level CCIW or MIAC opponent for their other game.  An Augustana or Gustavus type school.

Good post!  Dubuque is almost playing the preseason schedule of a established program, but they aren't quite there yet.  Zweifel has done a good job though!

The image of Dubuque as a bottom feeder in athletics doesn't completely go away overnight, even though the basketball, wrestling, and football programs all appear more than healthy over the last several years.  The Spartans were always 2nd banana to Loras just within the City of Dubuque up until Stan took over.

Do most people think they have clearly leaped past Loras?  I guess I think they will and have clearly pulled even.

When I was playing in the IIAC the thoughts about academics at Dubuque were clearly better than Upper Iowa or Billy Penn, but I don't remember running into lots of people who were almost going to go there.  That was the mid-1990s though.

The facilities will be the gift that will keep on giving as the years go by.

Quote from: warthog on September 12, 2015, 08:12:20 PM
Interesting day so far in the IIAC -

St. John's remains undefeated in the IIAC and Wartburg remains undefeated in the MIAC.
St. John's 56-7 over Buena Vista after beating U of Dubuque last week.
Wartburg 24-14 over Bethal after beating Augsburg last week.

Coe takes out a week's worth of frustration on Cornell 50-3.
We're reminded again why Cornell crawled back to the MWC.

Luther bounces back with a victory over St. Olaf after a close lost last week.
St. Olaf doesn't compare to UW LaCrosse, but a win is a win.

Central gets it turned around quickly with a win over a traditionally decent Monmouth squad.
Next week against Maranatha Baptist the Dutch should be able to name the score.

Loras puts up 42 on UW Stout, but gives up 52. in a loss
Don't expect the Blue Devils to score that much against Wartburg next week.

Now we'll see how the UD Spartans can do against UW Platteville later tonight.

I wasn't sure what the gap still was between Coe and Cornell.  Coe reminded me.

Congrats to Central!  Congrats to Wartburg for continuing to carry the banner for the IIAC!

Anyone that has seen B.V. play so far this season?  Where do they compare to last season?  I know the defense struggled last year and the offense did very well in league play, but the Beavers struggled against who they played in the non-conference last season as well.

St. Olaf isn't much better than the last two seasons, but I think they might be a little better than last season.  I also think Luther widened the gap even though they have now won the last three in the series.

UW-LaCrosse (opponent last week for the Norse) got pounded by St. Thomas though.  I know you can't compare scores, but my sense is that 5-5 or 6-4 might be the ceiling with this 2015 version of the Norse.  The defense is a little better but still needs work.  I am happy how they have been able to run the ball after replacing backfield talents at FB and QB.  Special teams keeps showing signs that they have more talent, but too many extra points have been missed and too many punt returns have just seen the ball bouncing for 20 yards inside the Norse 20.

To be positive though I have enjoyed watching the two Norse games as the games are fast and the Norse run the ball!

Quote from: NewKnightDad on August 17, 2015, 07:58:22 PM

Quote from: Phred on August 17, 2015, 05:40:22 PM
Nothing intended ....just looking at history of IIAC........has Wartburg ever played in a Bowl game?

Don,t be too touchy if not.  They have done well lately if not historically.  Just looking for history.

Not touchy at all, if you were looking at history I believe you could or did find the answer yourself.  I didn't know the last time central was in a "bowl game" off the top of my head.

Off the top of my head Central won the national title in 1974 and finished 2nd in 1984 and 1988.  They may have played in other bowl games, but I remember those three Stagg Bowl appearances.

The Norse also have the 1950s Corn Bowl win over Western Illinois and the Stagg Bowl loss in the early 1970s back when Edsel Schweizer had a very good football program.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on October 31, 2014, 01:07:05 PM

Quote from: warthog on October 31, 2014, 12:36:41 AM
My ears on the ground in NW Iowa tell me that the BV Beavers are confident they can score on the Wartburg defense at will.  Along with an offense they are confident in, they are boasting of a much stronger schedule than that faced by Wartburg. 

I'm a little skeptical of that last statement concerning the schedule. I'm sure our friends at Bethel might also agree with me.

It looks like the Beavers have been scoring lots of points in IIAC competition.  Apparently there is a discussion out there that Wartburg won't be able to stop a two pronged running and passing attack.  It seems they feel the Knight d-backs are a little soft if the d-line has to stay at home and play the run rather than just going balls to the wall on pass rush.  I'm not enough of a football analyst to know if this claim holds water or not.  I guess what I have seen is a good all around Knight defense.  Perhaps I'm wrong.

Buena Vista players and fans are boasting around Storm Lake that this is the best team Wartburg has faced all season.  They only wish they had played earlier in the season before Wartburg found out how good they are.  My nephew's uncle (on his mother's side) says the talk on campus says the Beavers will be able to lay 40 points on the Knights and win by two touchdowns. Now I am getting that info second hand, it could be some big mouths doing some pre-game postering, but the old geezers down at the coffee shop are telling my father-in-law that BV will win by a touchdown.  He does inform me that no one has offered to bet a breakfast on those numbers.

I guess will just have to see how things shake out on Saturday.

I wonder about that second-hand information. Surely BVU can just look at common opponents and know that if they got rolled by Concordia-Moorhead, and Wartburg beat someone who beat Concordia-Moorhead ...

Correct.  B.V. is playing well since IIAC play started, but Wartburg in the preseason was clearly at a whole different level than the Beavers.  Bethel is winning the MIAC and from a distance it appears that the MIAC has some strong teams this year (Bethel, Concordia, St. Thomas, St. John's, and maybe Gustavus).

Hopefully it is a good game, but the 2014 version of the Knights should be favored no matter the opponent or weather conditions until the playoffs.  Even for the playoffs the Knights might be favored often as well.

Enough of me talking about how good the Knights are.   GO NORSE!

Quote from: doolittledog on October 18, 2014, 05:11:30 PM
Wartburg beats UD 42-9

2014 Wartburg Knights are good at football.

Central 41, Loras 14

Coe 35, Simpson 21  (I had Simpson #2 in my power ranking heading into league play, and they are now 0-3 in IIAC games)

Congrats to B.V. as they beat the Norse 48-41.  I was very happy to see the Norse Offense bounce back and run for over 400 yards again, but the Norse Defense was lit up for the 2nd straight week.  That would have been a big win if they could have found a way to sneak one out at Storm Lake.

Can B.V. finish in the top 3 in the league?

Followers of the Iowa and Luther don't feel as good about the ability to tackle and cover as the might have two weeks ago.

Quote from: Outside the Crate on October 13, 2014, 11:27:21 PM
Wartburg.  May be their best team ever.
Buena Vista.  I think Luther's one dimensional attack was "exposed."  Now, how does one explain the victory over Dubuque? 
Coe.  They're better than the Wartburg score suggests.
Central.  They're still Central and the big win over Luther reminds us of that.

While we're at it, the MIAC is really interesting this year:  Bethel, Concordia Moorhead, St. Thomas, St. John's, and Gustavus all seem to have a shot at it.  Bethel is still probably the favorite since it's still undefeated in the conference and was predicted to win the marbles.

Luther may have been "exposed" on defense.  They also exposed the ball too much.
I also think Coe is better than the scores from them so far this year.  Or perhaps they will be better.

If the weather gets nasty, I always like Bethel's chances!  They are usually built for those games at the end of the year.

Quote from: doolittledog on October 11, 2014, 07:57:34 PM
Dubuque beats Simpson 44-10

Wow!  Quite a turnaround for the Spartans!  Congrats!

Congrats as well to Wartburg as beating Central 35-14 and Coe 43-0 sounds like something that hasn't happened in awhile (even in Waverly).  I ran into a couple Bethel people this weekend who really were impressed with not only the 2014 Wartburg team but how much they improved during 2013.

Luther beat Dubuque by gaining around 500 yards, eating the clock, and with the help of Spartan turnovers.   One week later the Norse were putting the ball on the ground, Central was eating clock, and Central was moving the ball at will.

Luther can clean up the turnover issues, but the Norse Defense was exposed as they could take nothing away from the Dutch Offense.  I like watching the running style of the Dutch RB as he has had a good career and reminds me of an old NFL back (not in talent, but running style).

Maybe another wacky week of IIAC Football will see Luther getting back in the win column?

Quote from: doolittledog on October 07, 2014, 04:35:30 PM

Quote from: Phred on October 07, 2014, 04:24:56 PM
The last few posts give a mediocre view of the current DUTCH team.  This week they play Luther which folks have laughed at as a "throw-back" to a bygone era.  UD radio, I was told by an alum, kept putting down the Norse for the first half (score LC 21-UD 7). 

Luther plays Central for their Homecoming.  DUTCH have had trouble at LC for the Homecoming game on occasion.

So.......Norse will win over Dutch on Saturday.....a grind it out game.

Other prophecies coming.......

Well now I'm going to have to listen to the UD broadcast to see if what you are saying is true.  It's archived on their site.  I suspect it's a case of someone hearing what they wanted to hear so they could take offense.  Last year the UD radio guys really talked Luther up, while they did say it was an offense from a bygone era they also said it's a tough offense to prepare for because no one else runs it.  The color guy told the pbp that while it might make him nostalgic for old Oklahoma and Nebraska games, it was a nightmare for coaches because so few of their players have ever seen that offense run.   

It has been fun to watch so far this season!  I still wonder how they will recruit over the long haul, but I had those questions when they were running "modern" offense under Coach Durnin.

Navy seems to do well running option these days.

Those Oklahoma and Nebraska teams played GREAT offense until they played each other or played Miami in the Orange Bowl.

I am not a Nebraska fan, but I loved the hammer job that they put on Florida for the national title around 1995.  Physical football versus Spurrier's throwing team.  Florida was a little hyped that season as well.

The only non-Midwest game from that time that tops that game was when Alabama under Gene Stallings with a great defense just whipped Miami for the national title in the Sugar Bowl around 1992.  That was the beginning of the end for Miami.  They were also a little hyped that season.

Central leads Luther something like 55-22-1 in the all-time series, so the Norse need to play well.

I still think Dubuque can go 3-4 or 4-3 in the IIAC.  The league race for 2nd seems to be wide open right now.

For those that have seen Central the last two seasons, how does the Dutch compare on both sides of the ball to the 2013 edition?

Was Wartburg going to run away with the game on Saturday anyway, or were the missed Dutch FG attempts big momentum plays?

Can B.V. end up being 4-3 in the league?

Quote from: doolittledog on October 04, 2014, 10:07:02 PM
Turnovers bite UD once again.  6 turnovers week 1, 5 turnovers today against Luther.  Not sure what to make of that. 

BVU has gone 4-3 in conference play each of the past 2 seasons.  I think it's their typical slow start to their seasons that people don't see them in a more positive light. 

I think the only thing standing in the way for Wartburg is themselves.  We shall see. 

Spots 2-7 should certainly be an interesting battle this year. 

I suspect Loras will be in for another long conference portion of the season.

A couple of the turnovers were very negative plays for the Spartans.  It is hard to win when you have even 3 turnovers.

However, one INT was a pick right at the half trying to hit a big play when the Spartans really had no chance to score.  At the end of the game the Spartans threw another pick with like 10 seconds left with them down 28-14.  In fact, Luther had already tried to kill the clock inside the Spartan 10 just a few seconds earlier.

Luther moved the ball well almost all day, and that combined with a couple big turnovers really never let momentum get back on the Dubuque sideline.

Luther moves to 4-0 for the first time in many years as they beat Dubuque, 28-14.   They are now 2-4 in the Zweifel Bowl.

Dubuque had 5-6 turnovers on the game, including a pick at the end of each half.

Luther had the ball for about 60% of the game and might have had almost 400 rushing yards and 500 total yards.  I was very happy with much of the overall performance in each phase.  Kickoff team might have been the weakest link.

Good win for the Norse as I have lots of respect for the Spartans under Stan.

Norse get the Dutch for homecoming next week.

Last I saw, Simpson was losing to B.V. , Wartburg was up 21 on Central, and Coe was beating Loras.